Dual Realities

This book arose out of the experiences of a group of counselors and psychotherapists working in the Service for the Seriously Ill and Disabled at the Westminster Pastoral Foundation between 1987 and 2001. The basic model used is psychodynamic, once weekly therapy, with home or hospital visits when necessary. Ten therapists contribute to the book, and two chapters are written by patients/clients. During their working life most therapists will meet patients/clients who are disabled or who develop serious or life threatening illness. Therapists are often unprepared for this encounter, which raises questions about their own mortality, and the meaning of life and death. This book aims to show how therapists can work effectively with ill or disabled people, by facing their fears, adjusting their techniques and, above all, by learning from the patient. Experiencing, thinking, and technique are the cornerstones of the therapeutic process, which the book reflects. Comprising thirteen chapters, the book begins and ends with the technical framework for the work'the assessment of physically ill or disabled people for therapy and the supervision of therapists working with such individuals. Six chapters are predominantly concerned with case material experiences, while other chapters focus more on understanding and technique. The Contributors: Ruth Archer, David Black, Susan Berger, Lavinia Chant, Rosemary Dixon-Nuttall, Gwen Evans, Anne Green, Linette Hatfield, Michael Kelly, Gertrud Mander, Celia Nightall, Judy Parkinson, Lynda Snowdon, and Dorothee Steffans